Ford's test program for the Escape plug-in hybrid is expanding beyond the original partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE). The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will join the program, setting up a group of utilities in the New York-New Jersey area that will also participate in the test program of the twenty PHEV Escapes that Ford is building. The Escapes will initially be tested in California by SCE after which the fleet will be shared with the EPRI group.

The expanded test program will help increase the understanding of the potential impact of plug-in hybrid vehicles on the electrical grid. Including northeastern states in the testing will allow the evaluation of the impact in different regions and weather conditions. The collaboration among utilities in different areas should help them to standardize what kinds of accommodations need to be made to the grid and power generation systems to accommodate larger numbers of plug-in vehicles. More after the break.

Related:

• 95 years for a PHEV conversion to pay for itself in gas savings?
• ABG First Impression: Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid w/Video

As the good Rev. Lovejoy's wife often pleads, won't someone think of the children? Turns out, green car enthusiasts look out for children's health every day. Biodiesel, as we mentioned last week, has lower emissions than regular diesel. And this helps the children.

The Great Lakes Radio Consortium had a little piece yesterday about a study at the University of Southern California that found that children who live – or often play – near roads and highways were 50 percent more likely to develop asthma than children who did not spend as much time near roads. Researchers studied 6,000 school children in twelve Southern Californian communities with varying air pollution levels and patterns. European studies back up the findings, according to the GLRC. You can listen to the 45-second radio clip here.

[Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium]